A second sign-on statement on the events in Nahr al-Bared
initiated by As’ad Abu Khalil and Samah Idriss (see first statement)

Palestinians fleeing the Nakba, 1948

Note: See below for details on how to sign on.
 
WE, THE UNDERSIGNED:

Accuse the majority of our Lebanese leaders of using the Palestinian people and its resistance for their sectarian and petty agendas. We accuse them of attempting to justify the attack on an over-populated Palestinian-Lebanese camp by using the slogan of ‘sovereignty,” that is often employed in Lebanon against the weak and the poor. We accuse them of adhering to a fascist ideology similar to the one that justified the siege of Tal Al-Zaatar and Dbayyeh camps in the mid-seventies, and of adopting Bush’s discourse on terrorism, as if the Palestinian people as a whole are responsible for a gang that Lebanese authorities themselves admit has no popular base in the camp. We accuse them of concealing the creation of a security apparatus that is not subject to the jurisdiction and monitoring of the people and their representatives; just like those, who falsely claim sovereignty today, covered up the security apparatus during the period of the Syrian-regime’s control in Lebanon. (more…)

IMPORTANT: Check for frequent updates from the Relief Campaign.

The Nahr el Bared Relief Campaign was spontaneously formed following the tragic events in Nahr el Bared Camp. Formed by friends of Tadamon!, they are a grouping of unaffiliated individuals, including students, professors, and activists, working on relief and civil action to end the violence and offer aid to those injured and displaced due to the Nahr el Bared conflict. In the north, we operate primarily in Baddawi camp through the civil society organization League of Al Awda, which is a composite group of twenty-three various groups, and in Beirut our base of operations is the Shatila camp.

Scores of refugees have been fleeing the camp to go to Badawi and other refugee camps, people’s homes and UNRWA schools. The Relief Campaign has been coordinating with relief NGOs in Beirut who are going up to the North to assist the refugees.

(more…)

Tripoli, Lebanon. Wearing a beat-up ratty UNCHR tee-shirt left over from Bint Jbeil and the Israeli-Hezbollah July probably helped. As did, I suspect, the Red Cross jersey, my black and white checkered kaffieyh and the Palestinian flag taped to my lapel as I joined a group of Palestinian aid workers and slipped into Nahr el-Bared trying not to look conspicuous. (more…)

Call for Relief Coordination Meeting

In light of the developments in Nahr el Bared camp and the continuation of clashes and bombings around the country, the Nahr el Bared Relief Campaign is mobilizing for:

• An immediate cease fire, removing the siege on the camp, and aiding the injured and the displaced;
• An end to fueling sectarin tensions and encouraging racism and hatred and using the media to these ends; and
• Holding the government completely responsible for the deterioration of the situation and inching us ever closer to another civil war.

We are calling for a meeting in Zico House, Spears St, today (Thursday 24 May) at 7 pm to discuss further actions and relief work.

In an interview on CNN International’s Your World Today, veteran journalist Seymour Hersh explains that the current violence in Lebanon is the result of an attempt by the Lebanese government to crack down on a militant Sunni group, Fatah al-Islam, that it formerly supported. (more…)

For days, the Nahr el Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp has been under heavy attacks from the Lebanese Army, attacks that did not spare civilians that have absolutely no relationship with ‘Fateh el Islam.’ The undersigned condemn this indiscriminate bombing that targets one of the most important reservoirs of the Palestinian resistance.

(more…)

Call from concerned individuals in Beirut

Under the shadow of the current events, we wish to register our stand as concerned individuals. We stand in condemnation of the brutal, excessive spilling of blood in the Nahr el Bared camp; we stand in solidarity with the steadfastness of the Palestinian refugees under fire in the camp; we stand with heads bowed in sorrow for the martyrs who have so far fallen.

We ask you to stand with us during our candlelit vigil against the outrageous violence.

(more…)

EVENTS IN NAHR EL BARED, LEBANON.

Amidst the confusing, violent and destabilizing events unfolding around Nahr el Bared Palestinian Refugee Camp in Lebanon, solidarity statements and appeals for support are beginning to circulate. Tadamon! is posting a few of these statements and appeals, along with suggested sources of information and analysis, to contribute to the understanding of the situation and to encourage support for solidarity-oriented grassroots initiatives to address the emergency.

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Ma’an News Agency: Fighting has entered its third day around the Palestinian refugee camp of Nahr Al-Bared, in the north of Lebanon.

According to media reports, Lebanese troops began shelling the Nahr Al-Bared camp, near the northern city of Tripoli, at dawn on Tuesday. The Lebanese army is reported to have pledged to “finish off” the radical Fatah Al-Islam group. Militants from the radical group Fatah Al-Islam responded with gun and mortar fire. (more…)

Al Jazeera, 22 May 2007

A ceasefire declared after three days of fighting between Fatah al-Islam and the Lebanese army has collapsed after just 40 minutes.

Abu Sali Taha, spokesman for the group, said on Tuesday that they were ready to “respect a ceasefire” in order to help the residents of the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp which troops have been shelling since Sunday. (more…)